Something Like That
by Singe
Summary: It really was an art, being able to see from one eye the past and the other the future. But the real skill mainly was in not getting caught in the between. Kakashi centric


Author's Note: Don't ask where this came from, really…just don't. I have no idea…started writing it a while ago, saved it to a disk and forgot about it, until now. In the end, I love Kakashi, and am usually either A.) Insane, B.) Sleep Deprived, C.) Bored, D.) All of the Above. Or something. Anyway, enjoy the semi-drabble that follows my various notes.

Oh, and slight AU, to make things work a little better. Yay, artistic license. Things may ramble a little because…well, because it's Kakashi.

Disclaimer: I own none of the licensed, trademarked, copyrighted, or otherwise owned characters, names, plots, yadda yadda ya, or whatever else that might appear or be referenced to in this odd little piece of fiction.

Title: Something Like That  
Rating: around K+  
Series: Naruto and Cowboy Bebop  
Author: Singe 

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"One eye can only see the past, that's the difference." The words seemed to snake through the crowds, some how slipping through the cracks of the maelstrom of conversation and drunken laughter. Kakashi himself had been drinking since the early evening with his comrades, but due to years of doing such a thing, had been little affected by the quantities of alcohol consumed. And if it took him a moment to respond, to acknowledge that he'd overheard the comment, well...that was just how Kakashi usually operated. People generally assumed he was half awake or in some drink induced stupor, even when the elite Jounin was perfectly aware of his surroundings.

So, after a prolonged instance in which he had continued to stare blankly into the empty space besides Asuma's ear, Kakashi blinked slowly, and turned his head slightly to see the man further down the bar that had spoken.

His hair was green, disheveled to an almost Naruto-esque level. (Actually, most of the younger male ninja had messy hairstyles, so was it really appropriate to connect it to his student? Would Kiba-esque work better, or just as well? Might as well go with "Male Genin"-esque. Ah, the power of youth. Gai would be proud, or envious, of his train of thought.) The man was several years younger than him, a smoker, and apparently hitting on his server, who just happened to be one Yamanaka Ino.

"Really? That's so cool!" the blonde declared in a voice usually reserved for the stalking and harassment of a certain Uchiha. Well, lately it had been aimed at another target, which happened to be, oddly enough, Hyuuga Neji. The poor, poor boy. Though honestly, he probably handled it better than Sasuke ever had. The first time the blonde had tried to latch on to him, he had glared, threatened, and walked away from her, all with no emotion. Sasuke was still working on avoiding the tackles/hugs of the obsessive girl, even though by now he had years of experience with her stalking/admiration.

"You know," the green-haired man drawled, "I'm surprised you noticed, most people don't. There are people I've known for years who've never picked up on it." He took a drink from the half full glass in front of him, and a long drag on the bent cigarette dangling from his fingers once he had finished speaking.

"Oh, well," she blushed slightly and shifted her weight from foot to foot behind the bar she was leaning on. It was unusual. Very unusual. Ino was never self-conscious, so what was the problem now? Kakashi suddenly realized he was paying more attention to the conversation than he had in his last meeting with the Hokage…and decided to file that thought away to mention to Tsunade the next time he saw her. Really, it would infuriate her, and take so little effort on his part. "You see…I like men with unusual eyes. So I notice these things."

Well, that explained the thing she seemed to suddenly have for the Hyuuga brat. She and Sakura had been harassing Sasuke for far longer then they'd known about the Sharingan, so there was probably more to it than that. Speaking of, when was the last time he had seen a good squabble between his dark haired, angsty student and Gai's dark haired, and angsty student? The two were so much alike, neither was able to feel anything but annoyance in the others presence, and with two colliding egos of that magnitude…well, he had considered "hinting" (aka suggesting outright and allowing the man to believe it was his own idea) to Gai that there next competition happen in the form of a spar between the two. Speaking of Gai…

"THE POWER OF YOUTH!"

He had apparently arrived. The spandex clad man burst through the door, shining in all his youthful brilliance. The bar went silent; the world seemed to come to a halt. Because of his brilliance. Because of his youth. Because of the spandex and explosion of eyebrows upon his forehead. But mainly, because it had long been Konoha tradition to never allow Maito Gai into a bar. Ever. Well, at least not since that one incident…

It was apparently time to go. If Gai had decided to join them (which he had vehemently sworn he did not want to do, just hours before) then they had either been at the bar too long, or the Hokage had ordered him to get a life outside of his students, in hopes the enthusiastic Jounin would gain a sense of fashion and an eyebrow wax. Honestly, Kakashi was amazed that Tenten and Neji hadn't yet drugged their teacher, dressed him in the standard uniform, burned the spandex, and forcefully (with all the vigor of Youth!) removed the horrible "caterpillar" brows. Though, he mused, they probably just didn't want to know what was under the spandex and just how many of the same green bodysuits their instructor owned.

"Well, so much for spending the night at the bar," Kurenai said, her bemused tone breaking the silence. There was an almost audible sigh of relief as she stood, and approached Gai. She spoke softly, and Gai, as usual, placed a hand on his chin, as if in deep thought, and then nodded. The dark haired man opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted before a single glorious word could burst forth.

"Spike! What do you think you're doing!" a woman, scantily clad in yellow, stalked into the room, and up to the bar, poking the green haired man roughly as she spoke. It was if a switch had been flicked, and the other occupants of the bar went back to their drinks and conversations, now that someone else had broke the silence and a certain Jounin was being led of the premises.

Asuma and Kakashi shared a look, and then both shrugged, going back to their drinks. After all, the liquor was already paid for, and Kurenai seemed to have Gai under control, for the moment. So they'd finish what they bought and find them later…well, eventually. The green-haired man was still being yelled at and hassled by the raven-haired woman, a fact that seemed to either be amusing or annoying Ino. Suddenly, she grabbed his ear, as if dealing with a child, and dragged him from the barstool and out of the bar itself. A faint shout of "What the hell! Faye!" could be heard as the door closed, and over the returning white noise of conversation in the room.

"The thing is," Kakashi spoke to the swinging door, "the eye that sees the present is the one you need to keep an eye on. The one of the past will just see the same thing, over and over, never changing, just replaying. Maybe eventually showing what you should have seen with the other, but really, what does that matter?"

"Kakashi?" Asuma mumbled around the cigarette he was lighting. "Did you say something?"

"Ah. But nothing very important. He's not listening right now, anyway."

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As always, reviews and comments appreciated. Especially since this is so unlike most of the things I write, and very experimental. So, let me know what you think and if I managed to pull this odd combination off.


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